


I’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: (No Longer A) Secret Marriage [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, M/M, Secret Marriage, Soul Bond, Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:17:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: Castiel’s day in Heaven was cut short when he sensed through the bond that Dean was in trouble.And if Dean was in trouble, that meant Sam was in trouble.Cas brought Gabriel to the bunker, finding Dean and Sam the couch.  Cas surveyed both brothers, trying to discern what was wrong.  Gabriel knelt in front of them, his eyes glowing a bluish gold.  He turned to Cas, his irises changing to a caramel shade.  “They were hit with truth serum.  Anything they say is the absolute truth.  And if someone asks them a question, they’re forced to answer.”





	I’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” by Taylor Swift. This is the halfway point in the series, but don’t worry! There will be more! This also signifies the end and beginning of a new story arc. Enjoy!

Castiel’s day in Heaven was cut short when he sensed through the bond that Dean was in trouble.

And if Dean was in trouble, that meant Sam was in trouble.

Cas brought Gabriel to the bunker, finding Dean and Sam the couch. Cas surveyed both brothers, trying to discern what was wrong. Gabriel knelt in front of them, his eyes glowing a bluish gold. He turned to Cas, his irises changing to a caramel shade. “They were hit with truth serum. Anything they say is the absolute truth. And if someone asks them a question, they’re forced to answer.”

Cas looked at Sam and Dean’s scared expressions, and told them, “we’re not going to ask you anything.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, “that would be kind of a dick move.”

The Winchester brothers relaxed.

Gabriel cleared his throat awkwardly upon seeing the look Sam was giving him. “So, we’re going to hide you. This should wear off in about three hours.”

“We don’t want anyone in the bunker questioning you about things you aren’t comfortable discussing. And you know that some of them will want to,” Cas said.

“Hide in your rooms,” Gabriel suggested.

Dean stood up and held out his hand to Cas. “I want you to come with me.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened as Castiel took Dean’s hand. Meanwhile, Cas was trying to hold it together at the incredible amount of trust his husband was giving to him without hesitation.

Sam turned to Gabriel then. “I’d like it if you stayed and watched a movie with me.” 

Dean and Cas shared a look at Sam’s proposition.

Gabriel swallowed and said, “o-okay.”

At that, Dean tugged Castiel away gently, taking him to their bedroom and locking the door.

Once Cas settled on the edge of the mattress, Dean knelt in front of him. “There’s things I want to tell you that I wouldn’t have the balls to if I wasn’t under the influence of truth serum.”

“You can sit down to do that.”

“No.” Dean looked up at Cas. “I need to see your reactions.”

Castiel nodded thoughtfully.

Dean steeled himself. “After your reaper shapeshifted into me and broke your voice box, I didn’t think you would let me touch you ever again.”

Castiel stared at his lap, thinking of his recent few days as a mute angel. He felt Dean squeeze his hand, which was resting on his thigh. Cas looked back at Dean.

“I was so scared that you wouldn’t come back to me. But you did. When you took my hand in that karaoke bar, I knew we were gonna be okay. And that’s a testament to your strength. Sometimes, I forget how strong you are, Cas.” Dean’s eyes were full of such reverence that Cas could barely breathe. “And I gotta say, and I know you’re gonna roll your eyes, but watching you sing a Britney Spears song was really hot.”

Castiel rolled his eyes.

“That brings me to my next topic. You know about my fear of heights.”

Cas’s eyes widened. “The dojo. I should have realized.”

Dean squeezed Cas’s hand. “It’s okay, darlin’. When I found out you were literally in the clouds, I didn’t even hesitate. I went up with Gabriel anyway. I strode up to you, and I didn’t think about my fear at all. You were my priority. I thought, if Cas could face anything, brave anything, and come out the other side, I could put aside my fear of heights and bring you home to me.”

Cas was pretty sure he was going to cry. He shut his eyes, a single tear escaping. Dean swiped it away with his thumb.

“No more crying, or I’ll start crying,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded profusely, sniffling and pulling himself together. He didn’t want to see Dean cry. His eyes looked like shattered emeralds when he cried. Cas would rather have set of whole emeralds, not a hundred broken pieces.

Dean leaned forward quickly and kissed Cas’s knuckles. “Now, I must confess: I have a little mantra I repeat to myself whenever you’re away. It makes me feel better.” Dean cleared his throat, and spoke his mantra like a prayer. “He always comes back.”

Cas wanted to cry again. “You can’t get rid of me, I’m afraid.”

“I’ll never want to be rid of you. And I appreciate that you’re using humor in this situation rather than crying. You’re so sweet.” Before Cas could respond, Dean added, “no eye rolling, please. Or snorting. I’m being really truthful, and this marriage is supposed to work both wa-”

Castiel pulled Dean upwards by his shirt, leaning backwards on the mattress while yanking Dean forwards. When Dean was on top of him, Cas said, “I figured your knees were starting to hurt.”

Dean rested his forehead against Cas’s, getting comfortable. He said breathily, “I love you more than the English language could even begin to express, Castiel Winchester.”

“Try it in Enochian. There’s-”

“Multiple words for love,” Dean recalled. He proceeded to recite each and every word for love in Enochian, refusing to break eye contact. When Dean enunciated the final word perfectly, Cas closed the distance between their lips. The bond reacted instantaneously, fireworks exploding throughout his veins and sparks flying behind his eyelids. Dean pulled away and sighed contently. “I love when that happens. I don’t know how I went four and a half years without kissing you.”

Castiel brushed his fingers over Dean’s stubble, surprised when his husband melted into the touch. “Me neither.”

Dean’s eyes fluttered closed. “I love when you do that.”

Cas ran his thumb along Dean’s bottom lip. “You love when I do a lot of things.”

Dean laughed genuinely, the sound plucking Cas’s heartstrings. 

His husband was so beautiful.

Dean opened his eyes, curling into Cas’s side. Castiel unfurled his wings, his feathers enveloping Dean like a blanket.

“I love when you do that too,” Dean said softly. He blinked, turning on the switch in his mind that let him see Cas’s wings. Castiel fought back a blush at Dean’s intense focus on his feathers. Dean hovered a hand over his left wing, asking permission silently. Cas found himself nodding, Dean brushing his fingers lightly over the feathers. Cas relaxed his sensitive appendages. Dean hummed, withdrawing from his touches a moment later. “I wish you loved your wings as much as I do.”

Cas felt his cheeks heating up. 

Dean tilted his head to meet Cas’s eyes. “I’ll just have to keep telling you that until you believe me.”

Castiel glanced down at his right wing, then back to Dean. “Tell me other things you love about me.”

Dean grinned. “I can go on about you for hours.”

Cas raised an eyebrow in doubt.

“Oh, hush. You know you’re incredible. More than incredible, really. There’s no single word that sums you up.”

Castiel smiled. “I know.”

Dean’s eyes softened. “There he is. There’s my confident and beautiful husband.”

Cas said, “you’re stalling.”

Dean couldn’t even deny it. “Yeah. I’m trying to create a list in my head of things I love about you, but it keeps getting longer the more I think about you.”

“You really are a sap, Dean Winchester.”

“It’s what I get for watching rom coms when I was younger.”

Cas ruffled his feathers pointedly, a nudge to continue speaking.

“Okay. Things I love about you. I love your eyes. Your eyes are the closest thing I get to truly seeing you on Earth. In your eyes, I feel like I’m seeing the real you, the true form I saw in Hell.” Castiel thought of when he showed Dean his repressed memory of their first meeting. “Now, I have to objectify you. Sorry in advance.” A beat. “Actually, I’m not sorry at all.” Dean blurted out, “I love your body. Like, seriously love your body.” Cas rolled his eyes. “Oh, stop it,” Dean said playfully. “Actually, don't stop it. That’s cute.” Cas rolled his eyes again, Dean smiling wider. “Anyway, um. Your body. So, the whole black hair, blue eyes, and tan skin combo is a breathtaking genetic combination. I would say you were a Greek god if you weren’t one already. I’m surprised that I resisted you for so long. I look back, and I wonder how I possessed so much self-control.”

“Same here, beautiful.”

Dean’s eyes flicked to his lips, a silent request. Castiel leaned forward and kissed him softly. Dean smiled into the kiss, the bond singing and leaving shockwaves in its wake. Dean bit Cas’s bottom lip ever-so-softly. Cas whimpered in pleasure, a sound he usually reserved for special occasions. When Dean released him, he exhaled, “I love that sound. I love all your sounds, actually. And that voice,” Dean sighed, “that voice is the kind you read about in romance novels. I know that you read romance novels, by the way.”

“I can ex-”

“You don’t have to. They must be where you got the idea to lift me and hold me against the wall.”

“Um...”

Dean laughed. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I think it’s really hot when you do that. Well, anything you do is pretty hot.” Dean refocused on Cas’s gaze. “It all started when you drove my car. And then you made me pie. My two favorite things, along with my favorite person. Ever since then, everything you do is hot.”

Castiel bit his lip. “I should make pie and drive your car more often, then.”

Dean nodded profusely. “I love when you bite your lip. It’s a little habit you took from me, I noticed. And I’ve started to talk like you sometimes.” Dean chuckled. “We’re becoming the same person, and I’m not complaining one bit.”

Cas said teasingly, “you’re smarter than you look.”

“You’re proof that it’s possible to be smart and beautiful. Don’t be so surprised that I took a cue from you.”

All of these compliments were making Cas blush harder. Despite this, he dealt a compliment of his own. “You are quite adept at learning languages.”

Dean said in Enochian, “you’re a great motivator.”

Castiel chuckled, thinking of their honeymoon, when he taught Dean Enochian. He thought of whispering the words into his skin as they made love in the gloriously empty bunker.

Dean chuckled, thinking of the same thing as Cas. “I could keep going on and on about you, if you like. I didn’t even get to your personality traits yet.”

Castiel ruffled his feathers. He said boldly, “go on, then. I’m having fun.”

Dean bit his lip. “I can tell you are. And you’re already showing off your boldness. It’s a new one that I’ve noticed. You just say whatever you want. I mean, you sassed your way back to the living. Iconic. And boldness is closely followed by confidence and bravery, of course. I’ve already gone on and on about your confidence. I love how you know,” Dean moved his hand to the nape of Cas’s neck, playing with his hair, “just what you do to me. I love how you go on missions not because you like it, but because it’s for the greater good. You cast your wants aside to save the world.” Dean withdrew his fingers from Cas’s hair. “Now I’m going to say something cheesy. You’re gonna sigh and roll your eyes. Here it is,” a pause, “you’re my hero.”

Castiel sighed and rolled his eyes.

“There it is,” Dean said fondly. “I could go on, but I wanna tell you the most important thing.”

“O-okay.” 

“Calm down,” Dean said soothingly. “I wanted to reveal that...I know the Carver Edlund books are around the bunker somewhere.”

“Shit.”

“I’m not angry. The reason I don’t like them is because, I don’t get why Chuck got visions and wrote the books about me and Sam.” Dean suddenly seemed a tad embarrassed. “I think that, if anyone is the main character here, if anyone deserves to have their story told, it’s you.”

Cas swallowed. This was all getting to be too much.

“Relax,” Dean said in a hushed tone. “No crying now.” Cas took a shaky breath. “Good. I just think that your book series would be far more interesting than mine.”

“Maybe. Write them yourself.”

“Maybe I should.”

“Fine.”

Dean rested his head on Cas’s shoulder. “Good.” Cas adjusted his wings, holding his husband as close as possible. Dean threw an arm across Cas’s stomach. After a few minutes, Dean spoke again. “I want to make love to you right now.”

Castiel concealed his shock. “The truth serum should wear off really soon.”

It wasn’t a confirmation, nor a denial.

Dean recognized this right away. He broke from their embrace, settling on Cas’s thighs. “Let’s move a little quicker, then.”

And okay, Cas couldn’t deny his husband this. He snapped his fingers pointedly, their clothes disappearing.

He’d never done that before.

And, judging from Dean’s reaction, he was going to do that more often.

Dean grinned. “That’s more like it, gorgeous.”

————

Gabriel and Sam settled on a maroon couch in a fairly empty room and locked the door. Gabriel set a timer so they would know when the three hours were up. They both sat on opposite ends of the couch — Gabriel respectfully keeping his distance — as the archangel projected The Dark Knight on the blank wall across from them.

They watched the movie in comfortable silence.

Every so often, Gabriel would sense Sam glancing at him, then direct his attention back towards the movie. Whenever Gabriel would hum or smile during a scene, — as he was wont to do — Sam would give him a quick imperceptible look. Gabriel ignored it, afraid he was seeing things. 

When the credits rolled, Gabriel saw the timer was going to go off soon. Gabriel shut off his magical projection, the room cast in light once again. “Three minutes,” he told Sam.

Sam nodded, staring at his lap, lost in thought. 

Gabriel longed to ask a question.

But he would take a cue from Castiel, the Angel of Temperance, and hold his tongue.

When the timer reached one minute, Sam looked at Gabriel suddenly. The archangel held his gaze, enraptured by Sam’s blue eyes. “Thank you,” Sam said earnestly, “for respecting me.” Sam’s smile made Gabriel’s heart skip a beat. “And thank you for,” Sam hesitated, “not asking the question that you want to ask me.”

Gabriel swallowed. He knew the question Sam was referring to. It was the question that’s been on his mind for a long time.

Do you have feelings for me?

Gabriel heard the timer go off. He snapped his fingers, making it vanish.

He was in shock. 

By Sam acknowledging that Gabriel wanted to ask that question, he was practically saying that-

“Gabe.”

Gabriel blinked. Sam had never called him Gabe before.

Holy shit. 

Sam had feelings for him too.

“Gabe,” Sam repeated.

Gabriel blinked again. He smiled brightly. “Yeah?”

Sam’s expression softened. “Want to stay for dinner?”

Gabriel felt his cheeks heating up. “I-I can, um, hang out here, I guess.” Gabriel wanted to kick himself. He was acting like a stuttering child.

Sam seemed to find it endearing, if his expression was anything to go by. “Good,” he said, his eyes shining knowingly.

Oh, Gabriel liked that face.

Sam had him hook, line, and sinker. He knew it too.

Gabriel took this knowledge and put it in a locked box. He’ll examine it later.

————

“Darlin’.”

“Hm?”

“Getting hit with truth serum was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

A beat. “Well, the truth serum is out of your system.”

Dean smirked. “How do you know?”

Cas’s eyes met his. “Because I’m the best thing to ever happen to you.”

Dean kissed Cas briefly. “And don’t you ever forget it.”

————

Castiel strode into the kitchen, immediately being assaulted with greetings.

“Cas!” Charlie exclaimed.

“Hey Cas!” Claire said.

“You’ve arrived just in time,” Alex said.

“To help us cook,” Patience added.

Cas said, “I suppose I can’t have you all messing up dinner.”

Kaia giggled. Claire shot her a look, but softened upon seeing Kaia’s rare smile.

Castiel immediately pitched in with dinner. A few moments later, as if sensing Cas’s presence, Jack appeared to help too.

As everything was cooking in the oven, Charlie asked, “is that a new shirt, Cas?”

Cas glanced at his gray AC/DC tee. It was one of the many shirts that Dean bought for him on their anniversary vacation. “Yeah.”

“Was it,” Claire waggled her eyebrows, “a gift?”

Castiel’s eyes narrowed. “If you mean it was a gift from Dean, then yes. Who else do you know that would buy this?”

Alex giggled. “That’s a good point.”

The oven — thankfully — chose that moment to ding. Jack opened the oven door, the wonderful smell wafting through the kitchen.

“You have magic cooking powers, Cas,” Charlie said. “We made this once while you were away and it didn’t smell nearly as amazing.”

Cas shrugged. “There’s no magic powers for cooking that I know of, but I’ll take it.” Cas put on oven mitts. “Let’s get everything set up.”

————

After dinner, Sam had a few minutes alone with Gabriel as he took him to the bunker entrance.

“Are you sure you have to go so early?”

“I-I should get back upstairs.” Gabriel fixed a strand of his hair. “This was fun, though.”

Sam followed Gabriel up the winding stairs to the entrance. “I wouldn’t be opposed, you know. If you decided to hang out here more.”

Gabriel fought back his blush. He’d been doing that a lot recently, and it was getting to be more and more difficult to prevent the red color from rising on his cheeks. He kept his tone casual. “I suppose I could drop by on occasion.”

They reached the top of the stairs. Gabriel faced Sam, tugging on the bunker door. “Well, I’ll see you soon.”

Sam smiled kindly. “See you soon.”

Gabriel disappeared behind the door, teleporting to his cloud and grinning like an idiot.

————

Castiel loves babies. Like, seriously loves babies.

Especially the toddling white-winged angel babies he was currently babysitting in Heaven.

They were just so pure. So innocent. So adorable.

Most have begun to walk, and learned how to flap their little wings.

But one. There’s always one who refuses to do more than crawl and sit and giggle.

Castiel has made it his mission to help the girl walk. He doesn’t recall how he was at this age, but he felt that this sweet brunette girl was a kindred spirit.

Cas sat crisscrossed from the sitting baby, using a spell to cast sparkly dust around her. She laughed, her gaze following the dust as it moved this way and that. After a moment, Castiel moved the dust too far for the girl to reach. 

Just as planned, the girl stood up on shaky legs and caught it in her hands like a firefly. Cas grinned victoriously, chuckling as the dust fell through the girl’s fingers and moved two feet ahead.

Cas changed his position so that he was kneeling in front of the dust, arms outstretched. “Come on,” Castiel said encouragingly.

The girl giggled, staring at the dust, then at Cas. Still upright, the baby took her first steps, reaching for the dust and falling into Cas’s arms.

Cas laughed, the baby holding the sparkly dust in her tight fist happily. “Good job,” he said proudly.

He held the baby by the sides, the girl standing up and staring at her enclosed fists. Her huge green eyes — the color of the trees outside of the bunker — met Cas’s inquisitively.

Cas smiled. “Let it go.”

The baby looked back at her hands, back to Cas, and released her fists. The sparkling dust oozed from between her fingers, the girl giggling as it continued to twirl around her.

Castiel seriously loves babies.

————

After a visit with Mary, Castiel went to Gabriel’s cloud. 

He saw that the dojo Balthazar created was still there. Cas met Gabriel’s gaze and pointed to the dojo.

“I like it,” Gabriel said as an explanation. His expression turned playful. “Wanna spar?”

Cas thought of Dean encouraging him to work out more often, and smirked. “Prepare to be destroyed.”

Gabriel laughed haughtily. “I’d like to see you try.”

————

And oh, did Castiel try.

Cas learned a lot about his brother’s fighting skills in the subsequent martial arts matches. He totally underestimated Gabriel.

Cas wouldn’t make that mistake again.

He put all of his effort into the next match, Gabriel having a confident glint in his eye and a smirk on his face.

Oh, Cas would do anything to wipe that smile off his face.

He reset his grip on the bamboo stick, changing to an entirely different tactic. Gabriel went to his usual position.

Big mistake.

Instead of having Gabriel charge first, Castiel began the match. He leapt towards Gabriel, nearly knocking him off balance.

Nearly.

Gabriel blocked his blow, unable to conceal his shock. Within a second, he recovered, raining down attacks on Cas to no avail. Cas parried every attack, dealing his own whenever there was an opening. They went on like this for few minutes, neither angel giving the other any leeway.

Until Cas caught Gabriel blink.

He was fatigued.

Castiel clenched his teeth, fighting back his own tiredness. He pushed forward with the bamboo stick, surprised that Gabriel let his guard down an inch.

And an inch was all he needed.

Cas gained the upper hand, attacking the archangel’s newly-weak spot. His bamboo stick rested against Gabriel’s midriff.

Gabriel looked down in surprise. “Well I’ll be damned.”

Cas smiled brightly, removing his bamboo stick and casting it away. 

That’s when Castiel and Gabriel heard clapping.

Both angels swiveled their heads towards the entrance of the dojo. Jack, Sam, and Dean were there, appearing out of thin air.

“Bravo,” Dean praised, a familiar spark in his eyes.

Cas remembered that he was wearing only a black undershirt and sweatpants, and that he was glistening with sweat. He glanced over at Gabriel, who was in a similar situation, and saw Sam’s gaze piercing through his brother’s form.

Gabriel pretended not to notice, keeping his voice airy. “Hey guys. I see you’ve got a knack for teleporting, Jack.”

The nephilim smiled, his childlike demeanor casting an innocent aura around the dojo. “I suppose I’ve gotten good at this.”

Gabriel cast away his bamboo stick. “You have, kiddo. You could probably teleport better than half of the angels in Heaven.”

Jack grinned boyishly at the compliment.

Sam cleared his throat, tearing his gaze away from Gabriel. “It’s dinner time.”

Dean — who Castiel was pleased to note hadn’t taken his eyes off of him — smiled easily. Cas knew what that smile meant. “Ellen and Jo did the cooking.”

“Correct,” Dean said, obviously excited. “Now let’s go.”

Cas rolled his eyes, cleaning himself up and zapping on different clothes. He walked towards the entrance to the dojo, and realized that Gabriel wasn’t following him. He turned around, raising an eyebrow at his brother. “Got stuff to do?”

“Unfortunately.”

Gabriel was refusing to look at Sam, Cas noticed.

Hm.

Cas shrugged. “See you tomorrow, then.”

As he turned back around, he saw Sam quickly mask a disappointed face. Castiel nodded to Jack, who teleported them back to the bunker.

————

Gabriel didn’t have anything to do.

He just needed…

He didn’t know what he needed.

Perhaps being alone was a good start.

Unfortunately, he had caught the tail end of Sam’s melancholic expression, and the guilt was eating at him. 

Gabriel left the dojo and flopped on his couch. 

He should have Sam expect to be disappointed early, anyway. If Gabriel knew anything, he knew that he would always disappoint Sam Winchester.

Gabriel flicked on the television, playing one of the Transformers movies. He needed something to make his mind feel numb, and this was the way to do it.

————

“What in Father’s name are you watching?” Balthazar asked, appearing out of thin air.

Gabriel sat up from his position on the couch. “I’m watching robots fight each other. What does it look like?”

Balthazar sighed, sitting next to Gabriel. “Are you in one of your funks?”

Gabriel paused. “Maybe.”

“Tell Bali all about it.”

Gabriel tried to deflect. “Anyone who refers to themselves in the third person-”

“Oh, hush. I’m being a nice brother today.”

Gabriel sighed. “You could probably guess what it is.”

“Sam.”

“See?” Gabriel turned back to the movie, crossing his arms. “Good job.”

“Did something bad happen?”

“No.”

“Something good, then?”

“That depends on how you look at it.”

“Explain.”

Gabriel hesitated, refusing to tear his eyes from the television screen. He couldn’t look at his brother while he voiced this. “I have a viable and practically indisputable reason to believe that Sam has feelings for me too.”

The silence was deafening. Gabriel wore it like a cloak.

Balthazar leaned back on the couch, ruminating on this information. The only response he could come up with was, “well shit.”

Gabriel exhaled through his nose. “Indeed.”

“I can see how this caused a slight existential crisis that made you sink so low that you’re watching Transformers.”

“The first two were good.”

Balthazar ignored him. “I know that you’ve got enough issues to fill the whole of Texas, but you’ve gotten better over the years. I mean, your issues used to fill the whole of North America.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re being a good brother right now.”

“Oh, I am,” Balthazar assured him. “There’s a bunch of ways I could have said that, but they all would have been really mean.”

Gabriel huffed. “I guess.”

“And you’re doing really well. I mean, you’re responsible for Heaven and shit, and like, it hasn’t blown up yet.”

Gabriel finally faced his brother. “You’re teetering on the edge of mean, Bali.”

Balthazar’s eyes glinted. “But only teetering.”

Gabriel sank back into the couch. 

Balthazar switched tactics. “You’re doing good, Gabe. If you’re not comfortable making a move on Sam, and if he asks, tell him so. Don’t wait too long, though. The Winchesters are a tall drink of water, and Cassie already took one. I haven’t had my shot yet.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “You’re dismissed. Goodbye.”

When Balthazar’s laugh echoed where his form used to be, Gabriel turned back to his movie.

————

How Castiel found himself on a shopping spree with Charlie, Jo, and Dean, he would never know.

He just knew that, by hour three, Dean was resting a shirt over Cas’s torso.

A shirt that had tilted right angles with angel wings on them.

Dean stepped back a few paces, getting the full effect. After a few seconds, Dean grinned like a madman. Another few seconds, and Dean was emitting the most beautiful laugh Cas had ever heard.

In the middle of a department store, Castiel was struck by how amazing his husband was, and what a miracle it was that Dean could laugh like that. After everything he’d been through, he could sound as innocent as a newborn, unaware of the world’s consequences and cruelty.

Castiel reacted accordingly, scowling at the shirt.

Dean called over Charlie and Jo, who stood on opposite sides of him and examined the shirt. They busted out laughing too.

“I don’t usually like puns, but that’s a good one,” Jo admitted.

“It’s one of the greatest puns I’ve ever seen,” Charlie said.

Cas looked down at the print of the shirt and back up. “This is one of the worst puns I’ve ever seen.”

Charlie and Jo mock gasped, Dean laughing with a childlike abandon. Charlie and Jo were taken aback by the sound, but smiled nonetheless.

When Dean got ahold of himself, he stepped closer to Cas, mirth in his eyes. As he removed the shirt from Cas’s torso, he said, “we’re buying this.”

Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Oh, hush,” Dean said, draping the shirt over his shoulder. “Three against one.” He turned back to Charlie and Jo. “Right?”

“Right,” Charlie said.

“Right,” Jo agreed.

Dean turned back to Cas with a victorious grin on his face. “Let’s continue then.”

————

Castiel was surprised when Kevin requested his presence one night when everyone was asleep.

And Gabriel’s.

The two angels met Kevin in one of the unused bunker rooms, and were surprised at what they found. The room was composed of a couch, a desk, and a chair.

And the desk was scattered with colorful drawings.

Of Castiel.

Of Gabriel.

Of Balthazar.

Of the war.

When Cas and Gabriel met Kevin’s eyes, the prophet said, “it’s pretty self-explanatory why I brought you here.”

Castiel picked up a drawing. It was of him, kneeling over Asmodeus’s body as the Prince of Hell took his final breaths. “Are these recent visions?”

“They started a month ago. Last night, I got the final picture.” Kevin searched for the drawing, holding it up to the two angels. It was of Castiel meeting with Anubis, making him promise to keep Hell on lockdown. Kevin continued, “this guy is important. I feel like something’s coming that involves him.” Cas examined the drawing, taking it from Kevin’s grip. The prophet asked, “who the hell is he?”

Gabriel spoke for the first time since entering the room. “Anubis, the Egyptian god of death.”

That seemed to confuse Kevin even more. “But Cas, you’re a god of death.” Recognition reached his eyes. “Unless you transferred your power to him.”

“I did,” Cas confirmed. “I knew I would regret that eventually.” He addressed Kevin. “Are you saying that now’s the time?”

Kevin nodded in affirmation. “I don’t know what he’s going to do, but I have a feeling that it’s not good at all.”

“Is this a gut feeling?” Gabriel asked.

“A strong gut feeling,” Kevin replied. “Something’s coming. I just don’t know what.”

Castiel put down the drawing of him and Anubis, catching a glimpse of another one. He held it up, surprised that there were text boxes in this drawing. It was a subsequent drawing from the one with Asmodeus. The dead prince was holding the ring of Hades out to Cas, his text box saying, “it’s up to you now.”

Cas glanced back at Kevin. “Is this a comic book?”

Kevin blushed a little, clearly embarrassed. “Uh, it started that way, but it become more of a graphic novel.”

Cas said genuinely, “this is pretty cool.”

“Kevin, can you gather these and bind them together?” Gabriel asked. “We need to make sure we haven’t missed anything important.”

The prophet nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll give them to Cas in the morning.”

Gabriel said to Cas, “peruse that thing with a fine tooth comb. Then I’ll double check it.” A beat, a small smile reaching his face. “I’ve always wanted to be in a comic book.”

“Graphic novel,” Castiel corrected, catching the tail end of Kevin’s smile.

————

The next day, Castiel spent hours poring over Kevin’s creation.

It was amazing to be the star of a graphic novel, Cas had to admit.

And Dean did say that he deserved to have his story told. That story was merely a war, a page in Cas’s book, but it was a flattering start.

He looked badass as a comic style drawing, too.

He was so absorbed in the graphic novel that he didn’t notice Dean arrive in the library. And didn’t notice, until it was too late, that Dean was peering over his shoulder.

Castiel glanced up in surprise. Dean met his eyes and smirked. “Hey darlin’.” Dean wore a mock pout. “You’ve been hiding here all day,” he rounded Cas’s armchair, standing in front of him, “and I’ve gotten quite lonely.” He leaned forward, examining the drawings. “What do we have here?”

Cas rubbed his eyes, not knowing how to begin this conversation. “Are you sure you don’t want me to kill your obviously happy mood?”

Dean’s expression went from light to concerned. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Cas said, “but something is going to.”

Dean studied Cas’s face, trying to unlock all of his secrets. “What do you mean?”

Castiel figured he should get this over with. “Kevin’s been having visions of the war. He says that something’s coming, but he doesn’t know what. So he made this,” Cas motioned to the drawings, “and I’m searching for clues.”

Dean’s face fell, blinking rapidly. He examined the drawing in Cas’s hands. It was of Cas, hiding within his dark chamber in Hell, his gray irises observing as demons hunted down Michael’s forces. Dean’s eyes pierced through Cas’s. “When I said you should have a story, I didn’t mean it like this.”

Castiel found himself smiling. Only his husband could be so lighthearted about the news Cas just delivered to him.

Without warning, Dean settled on Cas’s lap. The seraphim shut the library door with a wave of his hand — he didn’t want anyone seeing them like this, even if their marriage wasn’t a secret anymore — and put the drawings aside.

Dean tilted his head down, looking Cas right in the eyes. “Remember when we would sit here all night and talk?” Cas nodded at the nice memories. “I would sit just like this, regardless of what was going on around us, and I would listen to your stories when I couldn’t sleep. I even told you some of mine. We would talk, and I would fall even more in love with you every night.”

How was Castiel still learning new things about his husband after six years of marriage?

Dean smiled. “Talk to me, Cas. Show me your story.”

Cas seriously loves this man, more than words could express.

Castiel started at the beginning, going back to the first drawing. They spent the rest of the afternoon combing through the drawings.

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of the new arc will be out next weekend. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
